


Waiting

by SumOfAllThings



Category: Prison Break
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Post-Apocalypse, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-18
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-06-03 03:03:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6594139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SumOfAllThings/pseuds/SumOfAllThings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They were supposed to be safe...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Michael?” Veronica’s voice was pitched low in an attempt to avoid notice. It was a completely fruitless gesture given the sheer number of gazes he could already feel sizing them up, but he could appreciate why she would feel the need to at least try. The way they were staring made his skin crawl. “Michael, can you hear me?”

He’d stopped reacting a while back as he used every sense he possessed to try and find a way out. A thousand possibilities whirled through his mind and each one reached the same conclusion. Short of the cavalry showing up they weren’t going anywhere.

“Michael?” She sounded worried. He abruptly felt the way her nails were digging into his skin. She was trying to force him back, trying to make him concentrate. He blinked at her and felt a pang of guilt when he saw how relieved she suddenly looked. “Oh thank the God. I thought you might have been gone for good this time.”

“Sorry, I just -” he gestured weakly. “I don’t know how we’re going to get out of this one.”

“Linc will -”

She didn’t get the opportunity to finish as the loud roar of several vehicles announced the arrival of twenty unfamiliar men and women. They piled out of their various trucks and cars and began setting up camp with a disturbing amount of precision.

“We never stood a chance,” Michael whispered as a smaller group made their way over to where Michael, Veronica and a handful of the remaining guards were kneeling. He quickly averted his gaze and willed Veronica to do the same. He felt her smaller hand in his and squeezed in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

“This all that’s left?” He heard one of them ask in a cool, almost soft tone.

“Wasn’t all that many to begin with.” another answered in a thick southern drawl. Michael could tell which one he was without having to look. After watching the man mow down Lucie Baker and her two defenseless kids he was pretty sure the man’s image would remain ingrained in his mind for the rest of his life. “Looks like they didn’t feel the need to keep this place particularly well guarded. Reeks of too much complacency to me.”

“And Burrows?”

“Not here. Ain’t no surprise given how easy we took control.”

“Where is he?”

“Well boss, they were all pretty tightlipped but I eventually managed to get a guard to squeal.”

Michael felt the way Veronica stiffened beside him and realised he was squeezing her hand too hard. He eased his grip but didn’t let go completely. He needed an anchor, someone to hold onto before he completely broke apart. God, the things they had done to Tammy to make her talk. She was just a kid, a stupid, naive -

“Wasn’t easy to persuade her though,” the southerner continued, slowing his vowels as though he was savouring every word. “These fools got some real loyalty for the ape, boss. The bitch took a while to break, but I -”

“Spare me the details,” the other man hissed. “Where is he?”

“He’s gone back south on a scouting party. Guy obviously felt pretty secure in his steading here cause he took the vast majority of his soldiers with him. They’re not due back for another month.” He could picture the way the man must have been grinning. “Guess we’re going to have to get comfortable whilst we wait.”

“Not exactly what was ordered,” the other man growled. “You sure your intel is good?”

“Positive. The bitch was beyond lying. Believe me.”

“Unfortunately Theo, I do,” a short pause, and then. “Who are they?”

Veronica’s grasp tightened. They were already pressed so close together that their entire sides were touching. He could feel the slight tremors running up and down her slight frame. 

“You mean the ones out of uniform?” Michael could almost feel the smug radiating off the one they called Theo. “They’re your christmas and birthday presents all rolled into one Alex. That there raven haired beauty is the apes whore.”

“And the kid?”

“Lincoln Burrows younger, prettier and only known living relative.”

There was a short pause. “You’ve done well Theo,”

“Yeah, maybe you want to reward me for all my hard word then boss?”

Michael couldn’t help himself. He looked up and met the light blue gaze of a tall, slender man. Probably around Lincoln’s age. Michael’s mouth opened on a swallowed plea. He couldn’t help but shake his head, just slightly. He wasn’t above begging. Not after what he had just seen. 

“You can have any of the guards,” Alex said as he kept his eyes trained on Michael.

“I was hoping for something a little sweeter boss,” Theo’s gaze wandered over Victoria and locked onto Michael. “Something a little easier on the eyes than the reject picking they left to guard this shithole.”

“We’ve got us some real valuable hostages here Theo. I don’t see much reason in handing one over to you just so you can break them.”

“Well boss, first of all the way I see it you don’t need two. You can just use one to control Burrows. And two, I promise I ain’t gonna break anything. It’s not often I come across such pretty specim-”

“No,” Alex said quietly but authoritatively. Michael felt Veronica relax slightly beside him. “Not these two. They’re off limits.” He walked towards them so abruptly that when Michael jerked back he almost knocked Veronica over, He turned to settle her and felt a hand twist in his shirt and hoist him to his feet. Suddenly he was looking Alex directly in the eye. “You, come with me. Don’t struggle.”

“Wait, what about -”

The guy moved fast. Way too fast for Michael’s frankly embarrassing defense skills. He hunkered over from the force of the blow and tried to just breathe as he felt a hand twist in his hair and jerk him back to an upright position. “Don’t struggle and don’t talk,” He turned back round to face the rest of the group. “Theo take the woman to her rooms. Remove anything useful and lock her in.”

“And the guards?” Theo asked with a slightly manic glint in his eyes.

Alex made a gesture with his hands that Michael didn’t see. They managed about twenty feet before Michael heard the screaming.


	2. Chapter 2

“You don’t need to kill them,” Michael said urgently as he planted his feet and twisted his wrist in Alex’s tight grip. He managed to break free for all of twenty seconds before he found himself lying flat on the ground with Alex’s hand around his throat. His head, already aching from the previous battering he’d received, hit the ground with a dull thud and suddenly all he could see was flashing lights.

“You about done?”

He wasn’t going to lie, he was thinking about it. “They’ve already surrendered. They aren’t any threat to you.”

Alex raised his fist. Michael flinched, tensing. When nothing happened he opened his eyes and shrank back when he realised the other man's hand was less than an inch from his face. “Really kid, I don’t particularly want to fuck up your face, but one more word and I’m going to start breaking things.” A hard grip caught his chin. ”Understand?”

 _Just shut up, just shut up_. But he couldn’t. “They’re mostly new, or really old. They won’t -”

He didn’t think the blow actually broke his jaw, but fuck it hurt. He choked on his words and tried to curl away, but the hand around his throat only tightened in response. He couldn’t _breathe_.

“I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t going to get any better. So I’ll ask again. You done?”

Michael nodded, not an easy feat when he had a hand wrapped around his throat. Didn’t help when said hand used its grip to pull him into a sitting position. Another hand wrapped around his other arm and he was hoisted back to his feet. He swayed for a second before he was dragged forward.

“So you’re Burrows brother?” Alex eventually asked.

Michael was rubbing his jaw, testing to make sure it really wasn’t broken. He gave a curt nod.

“I’m not exactly seeing the family resemblance.”

Which he was betting was the reason he was still alive. He didn’t say anything. He’d learned his lesson. He couldn’t hear anymore screaming. The soldiers were either already dead or they were too far in the keep to hear anything happening outside. He felt a hole open up in the pit of his stomach.

“Where are you taking me?” Michael eventually asked. Alex’s grip hardened momentarily but apparently some questions were allowed.

“Your brother’s room.”

“Why?” Michael asked. Because seriously, why couldn’t he be taken back to his own room like Veronica?

“Because it’s nicest place here.”

“You’ve already seen it?” Michael asked uneasily.

“When we were looking for him. Pity he’s not already here. It would save me a hell of a lot of trouble.”

“Is there any particular reason you want my brother?” Michael asked, which apparently wasn’t allowed judging by the way he was suddenly spun around and knocked into a wall. And fuck, there went his head again.

“Do you realise who your brother is? What he’s done?”

Michael wanted to deny the hate he could see swirling in Alex’s eyes. He knew what the outside world thought of Lincoln. How they feared and loathed him. The fear was one of the reasons they had been left alone for so long. “He isn’t what you think he is.”

That hand wrapped around his throat again. This close Michael could see they were about the same height. Michael might have even been a little taller. He thought he might even have some weight on Alex. So why couldn’t he break his hold? Jesus Christ he was being dragged around like a goddamn rag doll. “I know exactly what he is. Just like I know what you are.”

“Yeah?” Michael asked. He was shitting himself but he made his tone neutral, maybe even a little cocky. _Don’t act afraid, don’t act afraid_. “Why don’t you enlighten me Alex?”

The older man’s eyes widened in momentary surprise before narrowing dangerously. “You’re a soft, frightened, spoiled little boy who's lucky enough to have a big bad scary brother to look after you. Without him you wouldn’t have lasted five minutes. And you know it.”

Michael shrugged. “Seems like you really do know everything there is to know about me.”

They were moving again. Michael didn’t think the sudden chilling look in the other man’s eyes could mean anything good for him. He debated planting his feet again but he suspected one more act of defiance would mean Alex would carry out his threat. He really didn’t want a broken jaw.

They reached Lincoln’s room and passed through the doorway. Alex shut the door behind him and led Michael to the bed. _Not good, not good._

“Strip,” he said. Simple and neutral. Casual even.

“No,”

“Kid, do you have even a lick of self-preservation? Take your fucking clothes off and lie on the bed like a good boy and I promise it won’t hurt. But if you make me -”

“I’m not going to let you just rape me.” Michael stepped back as Alex stepped forward. Honestly, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen this coming. He knew what people who outside the steading looked like. They were hard, worn from seeing and doing too much. Alex was right when he said people like Michael didn’t last long alone. “I haven’t done anything to you. To your people.”

“Jesus fucking Christ kid, you really don’t get out much do you? This isn’t about revenge. This is about you having a pretty face and a nice body. Now I’m tired and after the day I’ve had I want some relaxation. So I’m going to ask you one more time, take your clothes off, lie down and relax. Understand?”

It admittedly wasn’t his finest moment, but Michael bolted. His fingers brushed the doorknob before an explosive pain in the back of his kneecap sent him collapsing onto the floor. He cried out and tried to roll away but hand grasped his uninjured leg and dragged him back across the floor.

“Stop,” Michael gasped. God, the pain in his leg. It was agony. “Stop!”

It did stop, for about twenty seconds. Then he was being hoisted up onto the bed and hands were pawing at his clothes. Michael lashed out and managed to land a weak punch against Alex’s jaw. So Alex grabbed his injured leg. “Stop struggling,” he said in that same even tone. “Stop struggling and the pain stops. I promise.”

Michael gritted his teeth to stop from screaming. “Gotta say that your word doesn’t mean shit Alex,” he eventually gasped.

He felt a huff of amused breathe on his cheek. “You really are Burrows brother. OK kid, you’re starting to make this more work that it’s worth. You going to calm down or do I need to keep hurting you until you see sense?”

“Did you break my knee?” Michael asked. God he hoped not. He was a walking target as it was. Add a cripple to the mix and he might as well save everyone the trouble and throw himself off the top of the building now.

“No, it’s just twisted. All of this thrashing about can’t be helping.” He felt a gentle hand wipe away the wetness on his cheeks and blatantly realised he was crying. He looked up and found Alex's intense gaze locked onto his face. “How haven't you been ripped apart yet? God, you’re just fucking beautiful aren’t you?”

“I’d be lying if I said I appreciated the compliment Alex.”

“When you learn to keep that mouth closed you’re going to be just about perfect,” Alex said with a soft smile that made Michael’s blood boil. “What’s the matter kid. You angry at something?”

“Rape tends to annoy me, you know?”

Alex sat back abruptly and gave his head a small shake. He sighed and actually got off the bed. “OK kid, you win for now. Stay here and I’ll go fetch something to wrap your leg. Then you and I are going to have a chat about your new change in status.”


	3. Chapter 3

Michael watched Alex leave the room and immediately pulled himself into a sitting position. He very slowly and carefully maneuvered his legs over the edge of the bed and had to bite his wrist to stop the scream threatening to bubble out of his throat the moment he tried to bend his right knee. There was no way in hell he was going to be able to walk until it was healed, and only God knew how long that would take.

He rested his head in hands and tried to slow the painful beating of his heart. How hadn’t he seen it coming? The signs had been there, clear as day if he had only paid proper attention to them. The sudden raids from the neighbouring communities, the deserting soldiers. Jesus, the threats alone should have been enough to tip him off. How could he have failed so utterly?

He felt a sudden and terrible wave of regret. Only a few hours earlier he had watched people he had known for years die pointlessly. He’d tried to help them but as soon as the soldiers discovered who he was he'd been separated from the group. Didn’t mean they didn’t make him watch as they ripped his friends apart though.

He started patting down the mattress, looking for something, anything he could use to defend himself. It didn’t take very long for his fingers to skim over a cold metal blade. He was hardly surprised, it was Lincoln’s bed after all and the man was nothing if not paranoid. His fingers played over the dagger as he considered his options. If he was honest with himself it seemed likely that Alex would simply take the blade and, possibly, turn it on him. The older man clearly had specialised training and possessed skills well beyond the defence classes Michael had miserably failed in. It wouldn’t exactly be a challenge. 

He released the tight grip he had on the blade and very slowly wrapped his arms around his waist. Just about everything hurt, but his head and knee were a constant throbbing agony he was struggling to block out. More than anything he just wanted to lie down and get some sleep, but the idea of being helpless on the bed was just unbearable. He slowly lowered himself to the floor and, pressing down the screaming agony in his knee, dragged himself backwards. He wedged himself into the closest corner of the room and settled down to wait.

******************** 

The kid was fast asleep, passed out in a crumpled heap in the corner of the room with his fucked up knee sticking out at an odd angle and his face turned towards the wall and hidden beneath his arm. God only knew how he’d managed to make his way across the room unaided. Couldn’t have been pleasant considering how badly Alex had busted up his leg.

He carefully walked towards the kid, mindful that he could be playing possum and strike at any moment, and dropped down to his haunches directly in front of him. A few seconds passed and the kid didn’t so much as twitch, so Alex raised his palm and brought it down hard against the wall just above the younger man’s head. The kid flinched so badly that he thumped his head back into the wall. A grimace of pain quickly flashed over his features before he stared back at Alex with a clear determination that seemed at odds with his closed-in body language.

“I don’t remember giving you permission to move,” Alex said with a small tutting sound. He reached out and grabbed the kid’s jaw, squeezing just to see if he’d react. “You hear me?”

“Wasn’t aware I needed your permission, Alex,” The kid answered in the same silky tone Alex had quickly come to enjoy. He didn’t struggle, hardly even moved at all.

“Well now you know,” Alex said as he moved to his feet and pointed to the bed. “You got yourself here. Get yourself back over there.”

The younger man’s beautiful, memorising eyes flickered to the bed and then back to Alex. He set his jaw. “No.”

“We doing this again?” Alex asked with a laugh. “You remember how it went for you earlier?”

The kid pressed his forehead against the wall and closed his eyes. His leg twitched very slightly and he grimaced. “I remember.” 

Alex considered the younger man for a moment before dropping back down to his heels. “You never told me your name?”

“You never asked,” the kid answered, still resolutely looking at the wall. “It’s Michael.”

“Well Michael, let me lay this out for you. You my young friend are the brother of a notorious and hated murderer and although your name has never come up before it’s more than obvious that you’ve enjoyed your brothers protection. Now the time is at hand and Burrows is going to go down. And you, well you’re going to find yourself in your own personal little hell when that happens, because even if we decide not to just outright kill you, without protection and with that face of yours, well I’m sure you can imagine what’s going to happen.”

Serious blue/green eyes locked onto Alex for a brief second before flickering away. “I’ll take my chances.”

“Not a smart move Michael.” Alex said before he reached down and grabbed the kids collar. He tugged hard and heard an aborted little cry when the younger man's knee inevitably bent at an unfavourable angle. Alex had to commend the kids self control, most people would be screaming bloody murder from the pain, but the kid just huffed loudly and otherwise went limp. Alex dragged him to the bed and with some effort forced him on top of the mattress. The younger man turned away the moment Alex let him go, shaking like a goddamn leaf as a few tears leaked out of his closed eyes. He curled into himself as his hands ghosted over his ruined knee. The kid was a mess “Well, was that worth it?”

A deep breath. “I’m thinking about it Alex.” 

Alex felt a smile threatening as he collected the discarded knee guard. He didn’t waste any time knocking the kid flat on his back and reaching for his pants fastening.  


Michael almost immediately started thrashing. The kid lashed out and Alex only barely avoided a fist to the face. He caught the other man’s wrist and twisted hard enough for Michael to emit a tiny cry of pain. “Struggle again and I’ll break it.”

“Don’t touch me,” Michael said, still mostly collected but Alex could hear beads of panic in his tone.

He held up the knee guard. “This needs to go on. To put it on I need to take your pants off.”

“I’ll go without.”

Alex shook his head slowly. “We need the knee guard so it doesn’t hurt as much when I’m fucking you Michael.”

The only outward sign of the younger man's panic was a slight widening of his eyes. “Get off me,” the kid said, louder this time. He almost sounded dangerous. “Get off.”

“This is happening Michael. Now unless you’ve failed to notice I’ve already dramatically reduced your ability to fight back. Carry on and I will break your arm, in which case you really will be helpless.” He looked over the kid, taking in the steady tears streaming from his eyes and the sheer terror the younger man was trying to hide. It was, Alex had to admit, both memorising and a little off putting. He inwardly groaned. “Tell you what Michael. You let me put on the guard and I’ll let you have tonight so you can think about everything I’ve told you.” He grabbed the kid’s jaw and squeezed hard. “After all, it isn’t as if you’re going anywhere. But listen carefully. I do not like being manipulated so If you’re still fighting me tomorrow I won't hesitating again. I can promise you that.”


	4. Chapter 4

Alex reacted without thinking and almost instantly had his new bedmate pinned to the mattress by his throat. Michael’s huge eyes blinked back watery tears and he tried to squirm free. The kids chest was heaving like he’d just run a marathon.

It took him a second to realise the kid wasn’t trying to attack him. “I could do without the screaming,” Alex said, finally letting the younger man go as he sat back and released a sharp breath. Michael turned on his side and tried to curl into himself so Alex grabbed the kid’s shoulder and forced him onto his back. “You having nightmares kiddo?” ”

“Why do you care?” he asked, the slight hoarseness in his tone the only indication that he was terrified.

“Because your thrashing nearly cost you a throttling. You remember what it was about?”

“Not really,” he started to squirm. “Can you ease up a little?”

“Do I make you uncomfortable?” Alex asked with a smile.

Surprisingly the kid actually smirked back at him. “And here I thought I was being subtle.”

Alex shrugged and sat back, giving the younger man some space. “You must have seen a lot of people die today Michael. That sort of thing is bound to stay with you,” he pressed the palm of his hand against the younger man’s flat stomach and felt a surge of satisfaction when he felt the muscles in Michael’s stomach twitch. “It’s really no surprise considering.”

“Do you have any trouble sleeping Alex?”

“Sometimes,” he answered truthfully. “But then I’ve seen a lot of people die.”

“You seem to be sleeping OK tonight,” Michael said, stoically cool. His eyes flickered to the gunbelt Alex had left on the vanity table before resting of the older man’s chin. “Your soldiers killed kids today. Some of them less than a year old.”

The little bastard was clearly trying to rile him up. Alex knew the sort. Men with no means of fighting back other than their words. Weak, pathetic, worthless men. “You’re right, I’ve been sleeping like a baby,” he leant forward, grinning as the other man shrank back. “And do you know why? It’s because I’m a survivor. I’ve flourished where other men, _weaker_ men failed long ago.” He grabbed the kid’s hair when he tried to turn away and wretched his head back until they were facing one another. “But I’m willing to bet you’ve never had to make that sort of choice, have you? Not when the ape was available to do all your dirty work for you. Jesus, your hands must just be so incredibly squeaky clean. The only innocent man left alive.”

“Nothing you can say will ever justify the murder of children,” Michael said stiffly. “You’re beyond vindication Alex. You’re a murderer.”

 Alex slapped him, hard. Michael surprisingly didn’t make a noise of complaint as a resounding crack broke the otherwise silence and his head snapped to the side. “You really need to learn the pecking order here Michael. You’re not Burrows coveted little angel anymore. You want to last more than five minutes you need to learn that your best chance of survival is pleasing me.”

He wasn’t expecting the kid to lash out. It was enough of a surprise that he didn’t react quickly enough to avoid the fist that caught him square in the eye. It would bruise, meaning his men would know exactly what caused it. Not good when he was constantly having to prove his dominance among a group of survivors who had done literally everything they needed to do to survive. He took a small breath and backhanded the kid hard enough that the younger man released a small cry of pain. He went still then, shuddering very slightly but otherwise wisely giving up the fight.

Alex was considering carrying out his earlier threat and breaking the kid’s arm when there was a solid knock against the bedroom door. Alex sighed and pressed a finger against the younger man’s full lips. “Keep quiet Michael,” he warned before turning to look back at the door. “What is it?” he called.

The door opened and Theo swaggered in. The southerner was covered in a liberal amount of blood and gore. Clearly the execution of the prisoners had taken a gory turn. Alex felt Michael’s breath hitch beside him, his only outward response to seeing so much blood and the realisation of what it must mean.

“We got a problem.”

Alex just stared at him.

“Seems like Burrows fair lady seems ta have flown the nest, so to speak,” he said without a hint of contrition. “I just went in to ah, check on her and she was nowhere ta be found.”

Alex felt his jaw tick and barely resisted the urge to lash out at the southerner. He got up out of the the bed and pulled on his pants and shirt. When he straightened he realised Theo was staring hard at where Michael was still lying.

“Who was the last person to see her?” Alex asked.

The southerner looked sheepish all of a sudden. “Well I was, but honest Alex I didn’t touch her. Just put her in her room like you told me to. I came back after dealing with the other prisoners and she was gone.”

Alex didn’t bother asking why Theo was making checks himself when he had a whole platoon of soldiers to order around. It wasn’t exactly difficult to figure out why he would want to let himself into the woman’s room. “Get the dogs and track her down Theo. If she isn’t found I’m going to hold you personally responsible. Am I understood?”

“Sure thing boss. It’s just that I ain’t sure how long she’s been MIA so tracking her down might not be -”

Alex had the southerner on the floor with his boot on the other man’s neck before Theo could even attempt an iota of self defense. The southerner growled, hissing like a cat as he tried to pry Alex’s socked foot off his throat. “Don’t give me your excuses Theodore. Get her back, now. Otherwise I will take the loss of an extremely valuable asset out on your hide.”

“Sure thing boss,” Theo rasped, stilling and waiting for his release.

Alex inwardly rolled his eyes before stepping back and letting the other man up. The southerner stared at him, sucking in his bottom lip as he clearly fought the urge to retaliate. Yet despite all of Theo’s obvious flaws the man wasn’t a fool. His eyes flickered past Alex and locked onto Michael. “What about the pretty? He might know where the little darlings run off too.”

Michael was staring back at Theodore with a remarkably calm expression given the intensity of the other man’s gaze. He slowly shook his head. “She could be anywhere.”

“And how is she just managed to escape out of her room undetected then sweetheart?”

“Maybe your soldiers are just incompetent,” Michael answered with barely any hitch of emotion.

Alex felt a buzz of irritation. The younger man was lying. More than that though. It had been foolish to put the woman back in her room unsupervised. He should have known better.

“You think we’re incompetent?” Theo drawled as he very slowly looked Michael up and down. “And yet here you are, lying in bed like a whore with all your little friends dead. Except of course the ones I decided ta end a little slower like. Some of them are still in the courtyard, bleeding with their guts spilled out all over the dirt,” he stepped closer to Michael, who was sat up in bed with wide eyes and ghost-white skin, but otherwise unmoving. “Some of em we’re real screamers pretty. They begged and cried, pleading for their pathetic little lives like cowards,” he pulled out a wicked looking dagger and spun it around his fingers with admirable skill. “But you see this here little pig sticker? Well no amount of beggin is gonna help once this beauty is twisted up inside of ya. You see your guts outside your stomach and you’re a goner,” he twirled the blade one more time before smirking and putting the blade back in his back pocket. “And that’s what I call competency. Doncha think pretty?”

“You’re going to pay for this,” Michael said, still pale and shaking to boot. It really was extraordinary that he had lasted so long in the new world they inhabited. “You’re not going to -”

“Shut-up Michael,” Alex said, pointing his finger in the younger man’s face. He was gratified to see he actually did as he was told. “And you. Go-get-the-woman.”

Theo performed a sarcastic salute. “You got it boss.” He looked back at Michael and winked. “You two have fun, ya hear?”

“Was he telling the truth?” Michael asked as soon as Theo left the room. “ Are some of my friends still out there? Are they-” he broke off, clearly distressed as his hands fisted into the sheets covering his legs. “They’re good people. They don’t deserve to be tortured Alex.”

“Neither did the people your brother butchered Michael. Or does not matter because you didn’t know them?”

“He didn’t -”

“Don’t even try it kid. Seriously, I’m not in the mood for your bullshit. It’s late and I -”

“You can’t just leave them out there,” Michael snapped, his eyes intense as he pulled off the sheets and struggled to his feet. The minute he was upright his knee buckled and he hit the floor with a solid thump. Alex walked over to where he was crumpled and really had to admire how beautiful the kid looked when his eyes filled with tears. “Please Alex. Whatever you think my brother is responsible for doing, those people don’t deserve to die alone. No one does.”

“Fine,” Alex said as he grabbed his boots and reached for his guns and belt knife. “I’ll go kill them for you. Nice and quick. Will that shut you up?”

“What?” Michael attempted to climb to his feet. “Wait, that isn’t what I -”

“You don’t get it both ways Michael,” Alex said, opening the outer door. “Now stay put. This won’t take long.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. Kinda busy here people ;P

Michael’s eyes locked onto his brothers bedding and he briefly considered just letting go and throwing up. It would make him feel better, albeit for short time, and it would have the added benefit of irritating Alex.

He strained his hearing but if his friends, those that were still alive, if they were screaming or crying out for help he couldn’t hear them. He tried to tell himself that a quick death was surely better than a slow and painful one but the lie was an empty and poor excuse for comfort. Did it make his a monster that he was thankful he didn’t have to listen to them die? 

He shifted on the bed, eyeing the corner of room longingly. He reasoned there was little point trying to leave when it would only lead to a painful and humiliating rebuke, but God he wished he didn’t have to stay in the bed where his brother slept, the bed where he was in imminent danger of being raped. 

Inevitably his thoughts reverted to his friends. Surely there was a chance that some of them could be saved. WIth proper medical care, even if the new age, people could survive a gutting. He had seen it happen. There was a chance. 

He didn’t look up when Alex came back into the room. He was too tired to meet the other man’s cold grey eyes. “You’ve murdered them all then?”

“Every single one,” he heard Alex slowly remove his clothing and felt a deep and very strong desire for his pants. It was hard not to feel vulnerable when facing an enemy in underwear. “You’re welcome by the way.”

“Killing them isn’t what I wanted.”

“There wasn’t an alternative kiddo,” the bed dipped as Alex slid onto the mattress beside Michael. He gently but deliberately pressed his arm against Michael’s chest and forced him to lie down. “Theodore really went to town on your friends. Believe me when I say it was a merciful ending.”

“Keep telling yourself that Alex.”

“Go to sleep Michael.”

Easier said than done. Despite how exhausted he was Michael couldn’t make himself fall asleep. His mind was whirring and the same, nauseous feeling in his stomach meant he couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the rather urgent need to throw up. Unfortunately it didn’t appear that sheer will alone was going to cut it. He took a deep breath before gently coughing. “Alex?”

“What?” came the short and irritated reply.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

A moment of silence. “Jesus kid, can’t you hold it?”

“I think I might throw up,” he eventually admitted, because seriously, time was an issue.

“For fuck sake,” Alex said as he got quickly out of the bed. “You better be worth all this goddamn effort kid.”

Michael didn’t get a chance to tell him to go fuck himself. He was too busy throwing up.

************************

The man was an absolute wreck. All it took was the death of his men, a busted knee and the mere threat of rape and Michael was a shaking, sickly mess. The kid had eventually fallen asleep, having thrown up all over the floor but thankfully missing the bed. Alex had called for one of the living servants and a pasty, skinny girl with a rat like face and dirty, stringy brown hair had scuttled in. Michael looked up at her entrance and his entire demeanour changed. 

“Becki?” he said, inching forward slightly. “You’re alive.”

The girl looked briefly in Alex’s direction before turning back to Michael. “Yeah, they kept some of the servants alive. To serve them I guess,” her expression softened. “You OK Michael?”

“He’s just peachy,” Alex said, causing both of them to flinch. “Now clean up this mess and get out. It’s late and I want to sleep.” he looked over at Michael critically. “You going to be sick again?”

A slight shake of his head. “Good, do to sleep then. And if you move one more inch tonight Michael, sickness or not my offer to wait until tomorrow will no longer apply. You hear me?”

The other man sensibly lay down. Alex ignored him and turned back to the girl. She was down on her knees mopping up Michael’s sick with grim determination. “You in charge then?” she asked without looking up.

Alex braced one arm over Michael and lent over the side of the bed to get a better look at the girl. “What if I am?”

She shrugged one bony shoulder. “Just curious. Got to wonder what kind of man lead those animals down there.”

“And?” Alex asked.

“And nothing,” she got to her feet and finally met his eyes. “Is there anything else?”

“Nothing yet. I’ll let you know if I need you to clean up any more vomit.”

She didn’t react, which was almost a shame. Probably for the best though. Michael was finally shutting up but he imagined killing the woman would set him off again. He watched her leave the room and slowly lay down. Michael was still beside him, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. He reminded Alex of a flawless marble statue. Beautiful and timeless and utterly unmeant for the new world.

“How many more are still alive?” the younger man eventually whispered.

Alex lent over the younger man and slapped him hard across the face. Michael didn’t make a sound and merely turned his face away as Alex leant over him. “Last warning boy, shut the fuck up. I won’t say it again.”

Wonders of wonders the younger man did actually shut his mouth.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn. Warnings apply!

When Michael woke he didn’t move for a long time. He strained his ears, trying to determine if he was alone in the room. Problem was it was hard to hear anything over the frantic beating of his own heart. He sat up slowly, pushing aside the discomfort in his knee and other various, pulsating injuries littering his body as he cautiously looked around the room. 

 

Alex was sat directly opposite, sprawled in Linc's favourite armchair. The older man’s intense blue eyes were locked onto Michael and crawled over his body before fixing on his face. “Morning beautiful,” he said, mockingly cheerful. “How’s the leg?” When Michael didn’t reply Alex very slowly leant forward. “I just asked you a question Michael. Smart thing would be to answer.”

 

It didn't take Michael very long to realise being stubborn wasn’t going to gain him anything. He shrugged his shoulders very slightly and averted his gaze. “It hurts.”

 

“Knee brace helping?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Good of me to get it for you, huh?”

 

Michael could feel his teeth clench. “Yes.”

 

Alex tutted softly. “Manners Michael. You should say thank you.”

 

Michael felt a hot flush of anger than he struggled to ignore. “Thank you for what exactly Alex? Ruining my knee, or killing my people?”

 

He was on his back before he even sensed Alex moving. The other man loomed over him, his face less than an inch from Michael’s. It took everything in him not to flinch. 

 

“You’ve already got a few bruises on that pretty face of yours Michael. You remember last night? You remember what happens when you talk back to me?” He very slowly and deliberately grabbed Michael’s jaw and squeezed. “You want to keep pushing me?”

 

“No,” Michael said softly. Alex continued to stare, waiting. “Thank you for the knee brace.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Alex said, letting him go and standing up. He very slowly and deliberately reached for his belt, pulling it free and dropping it to the floor before he pulled off his shirt with casual ease. He noticed Michael staring and his gaze hardened. “You going to fight me on this?”

 

Michael could feel panic welling up. He clenched his teeth, forcing himself not to lash out like the cornered animal he felt like. “Please, you don’t have to -”

 

“Begging Michael. Really? Do you have any idea how many people plead with me? Please, don’t kill me. Please don’t take all of our food. Please don’t rape me.” He pulled down his pants and let them pool around his ankles before stepping closer to the bed. “Don’t waste your breath.”

 

“I, I -” Michael flinched, pressing back until his back met the headboard and he couldn’t retreat any further. He shook his head desperately. “I haven’t -”

 

“Don’t sweat it. I have. Lots of times.” He crawled onto the red and caught Michael’s waist. “You need some help getting undressed?”

 

It was too much. Michael tried to push Alex away but the other man just gripped his knee and applied pressure. Michael released an aborted cry as his whole body stiffened. He wasn’t hurting him, not really, but the threat was implicit. 

 

“Don’t,” Michael snarled, desperate. “Get away from me.”

 

“You’re really not getting it, are you kiddo?” He knocked Michael back and pulled out a knife. “But the thing is, I’m really tired of trying to explain it to you. So I’ll show you instead. After all, actions speak louder than words. Isn’t that right?”

 

He hit him. A sharp jab to Michael’s bruised toro and a quick rabbit punch to his head. Michael fell back onto the bed in a daze. He could feel hands around his pants and shirt, pulling them off, jostling his bruised knee. Before he could mutter a word of complaint he felt himself being turned around on his stomach.

 

“I’m going to take it easy on you but I think it’s best we get the preliminaries over and done with. It’ll make next time easier for all of us.” Michael felt hands on his cheeks and then a solid smack to his backside. “Jesus kid, you’ve got a hell of an ass on you, don’t you.” 

 

“Fuck you-” Michael hissed, the words losing quite a bit of the impact because his face was smushed into a pillow, muffling his voice. He clenched his fists, wondering where the hell Alex had found lube. Did he bring it with him or was it Lincoln’s? He felt a cool, slick finger bump against his ass and then it was pushing in. Michael’s entire body tensed up, which only made it hurt worse. He forced himself to relax, going limp as Alex chuckled above him.

 

“Finally seeing some sense huh?”

 

“You’re going to pay for this,” Michael said, hating himself because it sounded more like a sob than a threat. 

 

“Sure I am kid,” Alex said, chuckling lightly. “You just keep telling yourself that.” 

 

Michael felt the other man climb on top of him and felt Alex’s dick poke his back and ass until he finally got into the position he wanted. And then he felt the other man enter him.

 

It hurt, which was hardly surprising. Michael tried to force himself to relax. He wasn’t going to feel any better about himself if he came out of the experience bruised and cut up. His knee hurt too. Every time Alex moved it jostled the bed, causing a shock of pain to run up his leg. Michael tried to ignore it all. His eyes locked onto the window and he realised it was raining outside. His eyes focused on a single water drop that he watched it make it’s slow way down the window pane.

“You with me Michael?” Alex asked, pressing a light kiss against Michael’s back. “You’re being awfully quiet.” He waited for a response that Michael wasn’t going to voluntarily give him. “That’s OK. I’m feeling generous, what with it being your first time and all. You’re doing an awfully good job by the way Michael. You feel absolutely fucking amazing.”

 

Michael clenched his eyes closed. He could feel the other man’s pace speeding up. It wouldn’t be long before he reached climax. Michael tried to make himself limp as he waited. Thankfully it wasn’t too much longer until he felt the other man spill inside of him. He stayed very still as Alex pulled out and waited for the other man to move across to the wash basin before he allowed himself to curl up, just a little.

 

“You want to clean up Michael?

 

“You want to go to hell Alex?”

 

“Suit yourself. I could give a fuck.” Alex walked past him and quickly changed back into his clothes. He looked over Michael thoughtfully for a moment. “You have the rest of the day to yourself. I’m going out to search for your little friend.”

 

“You won’t find her,” Michael said, breathing heavily. “She knows these lands like the back of her hand. She’s gone.”

Alex smile reminded Michael of a sharks. “We’ll see about that. Won’t we.”


	7. Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a wee chapter!

Michael wanted to shower so badly it hurt. He eyed the short distance to Lincoln's shower and felt an overwhelming sense of longing. He had never in his entire life felt as filthy as he did in that moment. 

He looked at the knee brace and experimentally tried to bend his leg. Pain shot through him but it was more tolerable than it had been a few days ago. With an inward groan he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and rested his weight on his knee. 

“It's too soon,” Alex said, stepping into the room with a mocking smile. “You won't get far if you're planning to run.”

Michael looked away when Theo followed. He could feel the other man’s eyes on him and it made his skin crawl. “I think you’re probably right,” Michael said, allowing himself to smile back at the other man like it didn’t cost him every shred of his self discipline. “But a testrun to the bathroom probably can’t hurt my overall success rate.” 

“You need a hand pretty?” Theo asked, pressing his tongue slowly over his lips as his eyes lingered on Michael’s mouth.

Alex pushed Theo aside and offered his hand to Michael. His eyes flickered to the wash basin. “You’ve already cleaned up once. You’ve changed too. Those your brothers clothes?”

He nodded his head slowly. 

“They’re too big for you,” Alex said, his expression thoughtful. “I hear he’s a big guy, your brother.”

“I guess,” Michael said, still not taking Alex’s outstretched hand. With an eyeroll the other man leaned down and grabbed his arm instead, pulling him to his feet. 

“He never teach you to fight?” he asked as he drew one of Michael’s arms over his shoulder and started to lead him towards the door.

“Where are we going?” Michael asked, stumbling alongside him. Theo stood close behind, his eyes glued on Michael.

“You didn’t answer the question Michael. Didn’t your brother ever teach you to fight?”

“I - I, no. Not really.”

“Seems like a pretty big oversight on his part, all things considered. Don’t you think?”

Michael wasn’t about to tell the other man that he couldn’t take a life, even if it meant saving his own. That the mere thought of hurting someone else left him feeling overwhelmed, like he might shatter into a thousand pieces. Everyone told him that the world had changed, that he couldn’t afford to be weak anymore. It didn’t make a difference. He just couldn’t.

“You were right, in case you were wondering,” Alex said, leading them out towards the courtyard. “Lincoln’s whore did manage to escape. Remarkable really, given how she’s one woman, alone and unarmed. I wonder how far she’ll get before someone picks her up.”

Michael staggered but Alex kept him upright. He tried to pull away and the other man’s arm tightened painfully around his waist. He really couldn’t help the shocked moan that worked its way out of his throat.

His people, dead and unmoving, thrown in a bloody, fly covered pile. The stench was overwhelming. Michael turned to his right and saw the few remaining hostages, huddled together in a terrified mass. He wasn’t surprised to realise that none of them were military. It seemed Alex wasn’t willing to take any chances on the remaining inhabitants turning on him. 

“As the highest ranking resident of your brothers home I thought you’d want to be here for this. To honour your people,” Alex said, gesturing with his hands as the bodies were covered with petrol and set alight. 

The sound of their flesh burning would stay with Michael for the rest of his life. “You couldn’t bury them?” he choked, aware that he was crying but unable to control himself. He could hear the sound of a woman wailing behind him, followed by urgent shushing. 

“There were too many pretty,” Theo said, sliding up to Michael’s other side and pressing into him. “Never fear, they’re well past caring what happens to their carcases.”

He could feel bile rising in his throat. He forced it down, made himself look past the sight of his dead friends. Made himself forget the sound of their screaming as they were hacked down and killed, many of them murdered by the two men who stood on either side of him. 

“Come on then,” Alex said, hefting his weight a little. “It’s time to meet our guest.”

“Who?” Michael asked, struggling not to press too much of his weight into Alex.

“It seems your brother is aware of the siege and is spying on us. We found one of his men on our borders. He refuses to speak of course. I thought you might recognise him.”

“I didn’t spend much time with the soldiers,” Michael said, trying to keep his tone calm and fighting the urge to press back. He didn’t want to see another man die. 

“I bet you didn’t. Too busy hiding behind big brother and getting everything you ever wanted to get your hands dirty, isn’t that right Michael?”

“If that’s what you need to believe Alex,” Michael said, trying to sound non-confrontational as they passed into the hallway leading to the small prison Michael had always known existed but had never stepped inside of before. 

God help him, he didn’t want to go in there.


	8. Chapter 8

He didn’t start to actively struggle until he heard a gut wrenching scream that echoed off the prison walls. He looked down and saw an alarming amount of blood. The small space stunk of death.

“What have you been doing in here?” he whispered, struggling to keep his voice even and unaffected.

“Just a little extra questioning. You know, to help crack the really hard nuts,” Theo breathed in his ear. “Our newest guest is one such nut, pretty.”

Michael recognises him instantly. C-note. His one good eye, the one not swollen shut, locked onto the younger man. His mouth opened and closed silently before he forced his expression back to neutrality. Michael didn’t risk looking at Alex but he knew the man had seen. He saw everything.

“So kid, why don’t you tell us a little bit about our friend here?”

“I don’t know him,” Michael said, trying for nonchalance. Alex’s grip tightened.

“And you?” he asked, looking at C-Note.

“He’s Burrows kid brother,” C-Note muttered, his words slurred and soft. Michael noted that his jaw was swollen.

“That mean anything to you?”

C-Note’s eye rolled back to Alex. “Don’t mean fuck to me, but it sure as hell is going to piss off Burrows.”

Alex smirked. “Protective is he?”

C-Note just shrugged, the movement causing him to wince. “He’s protective about all his people.”

Alex nodded agreeably. He slipped out from beneath Michael, forcing the younger man to rest more of his weight on Theo. He felt the southerners fingers dig into his ribs as he pulled Michael flush against his side.

Alex knelt down in front of C-Note and rested both of his elbows on the other man’s thighs. “And what do you think he’s going to do when he finds out I’m fucking his little brother, hmm? What do you think he’ll do when he hears how I’ve bent him over and shoved my cock up that tight little ass of his? How he was crying the whole time, begging –“

“Stop it,” C-Note snarled, straining against his restraints. “You shut your Goddamn filthy mouth your rapist son of a bitch.”

Theo gasped mockingly beside him, throwing his hand over his heart in mock horror. “Lackaday Alex, did you hear what he just called you?”

“I heard him,” Alex said, his tone worryingly flat. Michael could only flinch when the older man drew back his fist and dealt C-Note’s a solid blow to his already injured jaw. “Now you hear me friend. You’re right, I am a goddamn rapist and a hell of lot of other, worse things too. And I have pretty Michael here, at my mercy. And so you, you’re going to leave here today and you’re going to back to Burrows and tell him exactly what I’m doing to his little baby brother. Am I clear?”

C-Note’s expression hardened, his eye flickering to Michael for a moment. “He’s going to destroy you.”

“I welcome him to try.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd I'm back. It's been a while...

They shoved C-Note into a car and gave him a can of gas. If Lincoln was close enough he would learn what Alex had done to Michael, to his people, within the next day or so. Lincoln wouldn’t be able to resist. He would try to ride to the rescue. He was going to get himself killed. 

“You look scared, pretty,” Theo hissed, his warm, moist breath hitting Michael’s ear. “You know how much I like that.”

Michael looked down at the other man. It was a struggle to disguise his disgust. “Go away, Theodore.”

“Tsk tsk pretty. You ought to know better than to talk to me like that. I am quite literally holding your life in my hands. If you accidentally slip and fall on that bum knee of yours you might end up lame. Alex ain’t gonna have much use for an invilid, is he beautiful? Though I suppose it don’t matter much, long as you can still lay flat on your back”

Michael liked to think he had good control over his emotions but it was a struggle to remain expressionless as he met the other man's eyes. “We both know, Theodore, that Alex is the one holding your leash. You can’t do anything to me unless he says so.”

Michael couldn’t help but take note of the change in the other man's expression. His eyes hardened and his tongue swept out to spread across his bottom lip. His entire posture seized up and the arm around Michael’s waist was like a vice. ”You’re walking a real thin line there pretty. You ought not poke the bear.”

Michael steeled himself before leaning very slightly into the one mans space. “Heel boy,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The shorter man raised his hand and Michael tensed but didn’t flinch away. “Ohhh, I am gonna make it hurt. I’m going to split you in two you uppity little whore. I’m going to -

“Theodore,” Alex snapped, stepping between them as he took Michael’s arm to help steady his weight. “Go prepare the men. I want eyes on the road. The moment Lincoln sets foot in this territory I want to know about it.”

The smaller man's eyes passed between Alex and Michael before his mouth transformed into a sly smile and he purposefully dropped his hand. “Right you are boss man.”

Alex watched him leave before turning his attention back to the younger man. “You shouldn’t provoke him, Michael. Theodore is dangerous.”

“And what does that make you?” Michael asked, allowing himself to be maneuvered out of the room. He paused before they reached the courtyard, taking a deep, fortifying breath before he focused his eyes on the ground and limped slowly alongside the other man. 

He heard snickering and some lewd remarks as they passed through the courtyard and realised blatantly that they were about him. It wasn’t as if Lincoln’s soldiers had never teased him. Some of the bolder ones has even outright positioned him, but they’d never crossed the line into actual harassment. He wasn’t used to hearing people talk about him, or anyone else, in such a degrading manner. 

Alex’s people were different. They were rough and dangerous. The fact that they would kill and rape made it very clear that their moral compasses were damaged beyond compare. He didn’t want to think about what was going to happen when Alex inevitably grew bored of him. 

“What is it you did, Michael?” Alex asked, clearly unconcerned by his peoples words as they passed into the corridor towards Lincoln’s bedroom.

“Fix things,” Michael said shortly. 

“Like what?” the other man asked, his tone clearly amused.

“Anything that was broken, Alex,” he answered, his face expressionless despite the obvious flippancy.

“Cute. So you were a handyman?”

“If you like,” Michael said, tensing as they reached the bedroom. As much as he wanted to get away from the prying stared of the soldiers he didn’t exactly relish the idea of being alone with Alex. 

“Your brothers protective,” he noted, leading Michael to the bed and helping him to sit down. “Your friend reaction proved that easily enough,” he leaned down in front of the younger man and reached for the drawstring around Michael’s waist.

“Don’t touch me,” Michael snapped, immediately leaning away.

The other man tutted softly. “Come on Michael. We both know how this plays out. You struggle and I hurt you until you stop struggling. Surely the smart thing to do would be to save yourself some pain?”

For a moment Michael considered spitting in the other man’s face. The moment passed and Alex sighed tiredly. “Look, I just want to take a look at your knee. Nothing else. OK?”

“I can look at it myself,” Michael said, unrelenting. He didn’t trust the man. He couldn’t, after the things he had seen him do. There was something wrong with him and his people. They were deranged.

He was flat on his back before he had the chance to tense. Alex was leaning over him, his hand hard on Michael’s chin. “You’re my property. You understand that, don’t you Michael?”

Michael grabbed the other man’s wrist but didn’t actively try to push him away. He was right about one thing. Struggling would only enrage Alex. Michael couldn’t afford to be hurt anymore than he already was. “You can’t just take a person and call it yours Alex. No one has that right.”

The soldier laughed in his face, his grip tightening enough that Michael knew there would be bruises. “Jesus kid, get a fucking clue. Your world, the one where big brother wraps you up in cotton wool and keeps the big bad wolves from the door, it’s an illusion. This, here and now, this is reality. And the truth of the matter is that I took you, because you're pleasant looking. And I’m going to keep you, for as long as I want, because I’m stronger than you and because I have the power. And you, you’re powerless. You’re a pretty little bauble that can’t fight and isn’t equipped to face the new world. You’re nothing,” he pressed down, forcing Michael’s head back as he ghosted his lips over Michael’s throat. “Let me hear you say it.”

“Say what?” Michael hissed between gritted teeth. 

“Say you belong to be. Say you’re my property.”

Michael considered his options. Alex was clearly moments away from violence. He was trying to force his dominance and if Michael didn’t give in it was likely that the other man would turn violent. He might rape him again, just to show that he could.

It’s only words, Michael told himself, shuddering as he felt teeth against his throat. It’s just words. You’re pride isn’t worth more than your life.

“I belong to you,” Michael managed to say in a reasonably steady voice. “I’m your property.”

The grip on Michael’s chin eased and Alex’s weight let up. The solider pulled the drawstring on Michael’s sweats loose and almost gently eased his trousers down the younger mans legs. He paused when he reached the knee brace and spent a few minutes poking and prodding at Michael’s knee.

“The swelling’s gone down some,” he noted before pulling Michael back into a sitting position. “How does it feel?”

“It hurts,” Michael said, his voice devoid of any emotion. He shuddered again. “Can I have a shower?”

“No,” Alex said, standing up and straightening his clothes. “I have things to do and you’re likely to brain yourself if you stay in there alone. I’ll have someone bring clean water for the basin. And some food. You must be hungry.”

Michael thought of the stretch of burnt meat and blackened, broken skin. He felt his stomach knot and turned away.

“Get some rest. Something tells me the next few days are going to be pretty exciting.”


End file.
